Accelerated BS in Biological Sciences with MS in Environmental Science

The Accelerated Combined BS - MS program in Environmental Science is a five-year, 156-credit program that leads to the joint award of a Bachelor of Science with Major in Biological Sciences and Master of Science with Major in Environmental Science. Students should apply to the ES Program no later than the last semester of their Junior Year.

Potential students must have a faculty advisor from within the Department of Biological Sciences. After acceptance to the ES Program, BS to MS students will consult with their advisor to determine which courses to take during their senior year as an undergraduate to meet the combined BS and MS requirements. BS to MS students are not formally accepted by the Graduate College until after the semester the BS degree is awarded. The application deadlines are March 15 for the fall semester and October 1 for the spring semester; the GRE exam must be taken before applying to the ES Program.

Download the BS to MS Environmental Science Application forms:

Combined Program: Graduate Admission

Environmental Science B.S. to M.S. Application

Admissions Requirements

Admission will be based upon academic record (B or better average), three letters of recommendation, and minimum GRE scores of 151 Verbal and 151 Quantitative (GRE scores prior to 2013 are not accepted).

Thesis Option

A student curriculum currently consists of a minimum of 36 credits taken in the following five categories:

Core Subject Areas: 12-27 graduate credits with at least one course from each of the four core subject areas.

Electives: No more than 15 graduate credits of electives will be counted toward the degree. Up to 3, graduate credits combined of Directed Independent Study (EVS 6905) and Directed Independent Research (EVS 6916) may be counted toward this degree.

Thesis: 6-12 credits (EVS 6971).

Environmental Science Colloquium Series (EVS 6920): 2 credits or more. No more than 4 credits of EVS 6920 may be counted toward this degree. This course is currently only offered in the fall semester. Students must take EVS 6920 during their first fall semester.

Fundamentals of Environmental Research (EVS 6917): 1 credit. This course is currently only offered in the spring semester. Students should take EVS 6917 during their first spring semester.

Degree requirements may change. Students should always consult the official university catalog to determine which requirements apply to them.

Non-Thesis Option

A student curriculum consists of a minimum of 36 graduate credits taken in the following five categories:

Core Subject Areas: 12-30 graduate credits with at least one course from each of the four core subject areas.

Directed Independent Study (EVS 6905) and Directed Independent Research (EVS 6916): 3 credits combined.

Electives: No more than 18 graduate credits of electives will be counted toward the degree.

Environmental Science Colloquium Series (EVS 6920): 2 credits or more.

Fundamentals of Environmental Research (EVS 6917): 1 credit.

Degree requirements may change. Students should always consult the official university catalog to determine which requirements apply to them.

Core Subject Areas:

Physical Science
Chemistry for Environmental Scientists	CHS 6611	3
Environmental Geochemistry	GLY 5243	3
Advanced Environmental Geochemistry	GLY 6246	3
Global Environmental Change	GLY 6746	3
Methods in Hydrogeology	GLY 6838	3
Coastal Environments	GLY 6737	3
Data Science
Spatial Data Analysis	GIS 6306	3
Experimental Design and Biometry	PCB 6456	4
Statistics for Urban Planning	URP 6211	3
Ecology and Conservation
Environmental Restoration	EVR 6334	3
Biogeography	GEO 5305	3
Ecological Theory	PCB 6406	3
Conservation Biology	PCB 6045	3
Advanced Ecology	PCB 6046	3
Sustainability
Human-Environmental Interactions	GEA 6277	3
Culture, Conservation and Land Use	GEO 6337	3
Sustainable Cities	URP 6406	3
Environmental Policy and Programs	URP 6429	3
Electives
Flora of South Florida	BOT 5155	2
Flora of South Florida Lab	BOT 5155L	2
Plant Ecology	BOT 6159C	4
Coastal Plant Ecology	BOT 6606	2
Coastal Plant Ecology Lab	BOT 6606L	2
Symbiosis	BSC 6365	3
Scientific Communication	BSC 6846	3
Ecological Modeling	EVR 6070	3
Restoration Implementation and Management	EVR 6358	3
Geographic Analysis of Population	GEO 5435C	3
Plants And People	GEO 6317	3
Digital Image Analysis	GIS 5033C	3
Remote Sensing of the Environment	GIS 5038C	3
Principles of Geographic Information Systems	GIS 5051C	3
Applications in Geographic Information Systems	GIS 5100C	3
Programming in Geographic Information Systems	GIS 5103C	3
Advanced Remote Sensing	GIS 6039	3
Topics in Geoinformation Science	GIS 6120	3
Hyperspectral Remote Sensing	GIS 6127	3
Environmental Geophysics	GLY 5457	3
Shore Erosion and Protection	GLY 5575C	3
Marine Geology	GLY 5736C	3
Advanced Topics in Applied, Coastal  and Hydrogeology	GLY 5934	3
Regolith Geology	GLY 6707	3
Modeling Groundwater Movement	GLY 6836	3
Coastal Hazards	GLY 6888	3
Natural History of the Indian River Lagoon	OCB 6810	3
Marine Global Change	OCE 6019	3
Freshwater Ecology	PCB 6307	3
Freshwater Ecology Lab	PCB 6307L	2
Marine Ecology	PCB 6317	3
Marine Ecology Lab and Field Studies	PCB 6317L	2
Environmental Physiology	PCB 6749C	4
Environmental Philosophy	PHM 6035	3
Advanced Methods of Environmental Education	SCE 6344	3
Perspectives of Environmental Education	SCE 6345	3
Introduction to GIS in Planning	URP 6270	3
Environmental Planning and Society	URP 6421	3
Environmental Analysis in Planning	URP 6425	3
Introduction to Transportation Planning	URP 6711	3
Urban and Regional Theory	URP 6840	3
Women, Environment, Ecofeminism, Environmental Justice	WST 6348	3
Marine Invertebrate Zoology	ZOO 6256	3
Marine Invertebrate Zoology Lab	ZOO 6256L	2
Natural History of Fishes	ZOO 6456	3
Natural History of Fishes Lab	ZOO 6456L	2
Seminar in Ichthyology	ZOO 6459	1-2
Seminar in Emerging Topics in Avian Ecology	ZOO 6544C	1